In
the mid 1960's, American Airlines expressed the need for an aircraft
with a passenger capacity of about 250, optimized for short and medium
range like the route from Chicago to Los Angeles. The aircraft
should be agile and be able to operate from New York La Guardia
Field. Lockheed and Douglas competed for the order and the basic
concepts for the aircraft indeed looked similar. The fuselage was wide,
three engines, one in the tail section. The first orders for the
Lockheed L1011 Tristar were placed by American Airlines and Delta
Airlines.
The first Lockheed L1011 Tristar flew on
September 15th, 1970. Although it is still a very popular aircraft,
production ceased in 1983. A total of 250 Lockheed L1011 Tristar were
built. They were flown by many of the major airliners.